Regulation of combustion of gases in furnaces



March 25, 1930. A STEINBA'RT REGULATION' OFgCOMBUSTIO-N OF 'GASES IN FURNACES vFiled Feb. Y, 1925 4 sheets-sheet 1 wwf/v5.53 5 mgm @W March ,25,` 1930.

. A. STEINBART l REGULATION OF COMBUSTION OF GASES IN FURNACES Filed Febfh 1925 4 sneet-sheet 3 www March 25, 1930. f l' A. STEINE-ART y 1,751,894 I REGULATION 0F COMBUSTION OF GASES IN FURNACES Filed'Feb. '7, 1925 4 SheetS--Sheekl 4 Patented Mar. 25, '1.930

ALFRED s'rnrmnar, orA PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA REGULATION OF COMBSTION OF GASS'IN EWI'RIQ'ACESl Application filed February When employing producer gas for heating furnaces, the combustion of coal is progressive, occurring in two stages, i. e.,'a preliminary combustion for the generation of gases and a complete'combustion of such gases in a furnace. The air required for the complete combustion of producer -gas will vary for a certain coal with the quantity ofair employed for the generation of producer gas.-

As for example, if the producer gas be vgenerated by supplying one cubic foot of air for the partial combustion of Pittsburgh coal, the air for completex combustion of the gasl in the furnace should besupplied at a rate approximately' equal to two cubic feet.

In the operation of producers, the rate of ygeneration 4of gas isy varied by varying the rate of supply of air to the producer, and the rate of supply of air for complete combustion of the gas generated froma certain fuel having been determined, such .relation between the air supplied to the producer and-furnace, respectively, should be maintained.

The object of the invention'described here-v in is to provide for the Amaintainance'of'a desired relation between the air supplied for preliminary combustion of coal andthe air supplied for the combustion of gas, generated in such preliminary combustion.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a plan view illustrating diagrammatically a 'form or construction of apparatus adapted to the practice of the invention described and 'claimed herein Figs. 2, 3, 4, are views similar to Fig. 1 illustratingmodifications of apparatus` for,the practice of the invention; and Fig. 5 isa sectional View onaplane indicated by the. line V-V F ig. l and illustrates the usual form of aspirator employed in supplying'steam and air to a producer.

l v"' For convenience of description the air supplied for the preliminary or partial combus-I tion of the coal andconsequent formation of gas will be termed primary air and that vsupplied'to thel furnace for. the combustion' 'of thefpreviously formed gas will be termed secondary air. l

In ractice, one or more producers l', which may e of any suitable construction, are pro- :valves 8, inA order that a 7, 19.555.I Serial No. 7,636.

vided with outlet pipes 2 adapted to be con, nected through a gas header 3 to a gas inlet 4tending to the lseveral producers. It is preferred that these branches be pro'videdwith producer may be cut out when cleaning is necessary, without interfering with 4the operati ducers.- A

In the construction shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the pumps or blowers 5, 5, are connected to the respective air mains 6. and 6, said pumps or blowers-being preferably of the Root type of construction, which are adapted to deliver a predetermined volume per revolution. As shown in Fig. l, the blowers are on of the other prof valve 4 at an end of a furnace, not shown. In

so operatively connected to motors 9, 9a of' any 'suitable construction, but preferably of the steam turbine type, and the respective blowers are preferably lmade of such capacities thatthe air delivered to the producer and furnace will be in the desired relative proportions. .As for example, if Pittsburgh coal is beingemployed, the blower 5 is made of such capacity as to deliver one cubic foot of primary air to the4 producer whilel the blower 5fL will have such'a capacity as to deliver two cubic feet of secondary air to the furnace when driven at the same rate as the blower 5.

In lieu of proportioning the blowers in,accordance with the volume of air to bede- 'livered per revolution, the blowers may vary in capacity and be driven at such rates as to supply the desired relative volumes of air to the producer and furnace.

While the fans may be operatedeby any suitable constructions of regulable, motor, it is preferred as above stated to employ a steam engine such as a turbine, as the exhaust from such engine can be utilized for supplying a portion, at least, of the steam required in the generation of gas in the producers. In case sufficient' steamis not obta"` ed fromthe eX- haust additional steam may be supplied throug l abil-Pass provided-with a'suit; 'able regulatingvalve,

The regulation of the supply of secondary air by and 'in accordance with-the rate of flowv of primary air to the producer can 'be ate.

`'tained .by utilizing the differential between `.the drops of pressures through orifices in .the

conduits conducting air to' the producer` andr the furnace, the areas of such orifices being f .5a. The speed' ,of thefaniwill increase preferably so much-lessthan the cross sectional areas of the conduits that there will be.

a substantial, drop invpressureof the air. in passing through the oriice. In the construe tion shown, thefans 5' land, Y5a are .provided with air supply conduits 11 andv11a, having inlet `orices 16, 16a of areas so related to the arcas of the delivery ports `orioutlets of' the fans that the pressures in thecoiidits 11,' lla'will be' less than atmospheric pressure.'`

Pipes 12 .and 12a extend from the inlet pipes 11, 11a, project u intobells 13,13a submerged to suitable dept s in liquid contained in. a

tank-14. The closed upper e'nds of the bellsl are subjected to atmospheric pressure, and

hence the'positions of thexbells will vary as the static pressures in the respective' inletv pipes 11 and 11a4 vary..-

t is preferred in the embodiment of the y `improvement shown in Figs. 1 and 2, that only .static pressure of the air tl'owing to .the fansy 5, -ashould be employed for regulating pur# poses and to that end the conduits 11 and 11 .l should be provided with'. stabilizing boxes '15,

15a. rlhese boxes are sq constructed and are ranged relative to the orifices 16 and 16a, and

. to the points wherer the conduits 11 and 11a leading to the fans are connected to the boxes that the'pipes 12, 12il may be connected tothe boxes 15, laatpoints wholly to one sideof the line of flow of air through the boxes, and

. hence the pressure-inthe pipes '12 and h1.2a

will not be materially7 'affected by dynamic pressure. In order that there may be a .sub-

stantial or effective difference between the pressures within and without the boxes, the pressure without being atmospheric, it i`s preferred that the inlet ports 16`.and 16"L of th'e boxes 15, 15, which will hereinafter be termed".

' proportions offprimary and secondary air de sired for the coal gasifiedfor instance,` one to two for Pittsburgh coal. The pipes 12, 12 leadin to the bells 13, 13a, are connected to the sta ilizingbox.

l The bells 13,13a are suspended-from opposite ends of a lever 17 which is adapted to control a motor indicated'at .18 which through a cord 19 or other suitable'means is operatively connected to a-valve 2O in the steam pipe lead- V ing to the turbine 9.

In the operation of the describedappara-` tus the ian 5 will'bel'regulated. by the manipulation ofthevalvefvltheysteamsupply-pipe t duced -o'r Z drop .below atmospheric. pressure --andv the ,bell will move down,lv therebyfcafusing suchv a movement'of the motor 18=jas to openthe valve 2O causing the operation ofthe fan until the drop -o'f pressure through the orihce 16awill be subst'antiallythesame ast-he drop bells 13'and 13L will havexmoved'to Anorm-all position, therebyv chekingl 'any Vfurther open- .of pressure through the I'oriiice' f1.6,` and .the

. .80 ing of the valve 20. If at any time 1t is de.-

sirable to vary the rate of supplyl of primary furnace, the fan l5 is accelerated or retarded, thereby `changing the static"pressure'-`of'air' whichI will then' move up' or down shifting the .valve 20 to vary .the rate of rotation of thepf'an 5a. This change in the speed oflthe fan 5a will bringabout a 'change in the drop of pressure through the rice 16'until .suoli dropfof pressure is equal to that through the the valveA-in the conduitconnectingj the AS shown in Figs. 2'and5, the'primary 'air may be supplied to the producers 1 by means ofaspirators 21 of any suitable construction arranged in the branches7 connecting the air main 6 with the producers. YIn

primary air, prevent ,air in order to vary the supply ofl gas to the i i 'orifice 16. The' rate of supply or primary air Y A,may also be changed by. opening orclosi'ng y 9S producer'with the furnace. The closure of the -such` cases the stabilizing box 15 is arranged.

at the inlet end of the air main 6 and a pipe 12 f exten-ds from such box to a bellin. theregulating mechanism.

primary air to the delivery sideof the Ifanti,

substantiall such asis described. -v As shown in Fig. 3, ells each having two compart- -inents 22,221; 23, 23a, are submerged. toy a suitable depth in a tank 24 and from the'main 6 forv the primary air, pipes 26 and 26a extend to the" tank and are projected up 'into andthe'chamber the.A chamber 22 of. one bell 22a o'f the other bell.

'I hepipes 26,l 26, areso connected to `the. main 6 that 'static pressure of the air will be N125 exerted in the compartmentv 22a of one' bell and. static pressure plus dynamic pressure. will be exerted in the compartment 22 of. the,

other bell, and the pipes 27,27, are so con-f lnected to the air rnainhleading to the fur-w nace that the Staind-pressure .of the air {iow- 8 5 in the stabilizing box15, ,and the bell 13,' 'v

f 1101 1 Inliig. .3 is 'shown a construction wherein'. provlsion 1s made for eifectingregulation by -and in accordance with the rate ofv iowuof mation of a gas by the partial combustion ing therein will be `exerted in .thel co'inpartf ment 23, and thest-atic plus the, dynamic pressure in the main will be exerted in the f compartment 23a. These bells are suspended from a lever 17 adapted to control the oper#r ation of a motor 18 operatively connected to a valve'QO controlling the flowof steam to the turbine 9"' operatingthe fan 5a supplying the secondary air. 1 I

In lieu of controlling the supply ofsecondary air to the furnace by 'and in accordance.v

with changes in the quantity'of primary air supplied to the producers, theoperation of the apparatus may be reversed as shown in Fig. 4.

' air to the producers.

,For purposes ofA illustration, reference has been made herein to the relative proportions of primary and secondary air yrequired when Pittsburgh coal isempl'oyed for 'the heating i' `of a furnace; The roportions of primary and secondary air, w en Pennsylvania coal is "charged into the producer, are in proportion of. approximately one to' two. It should be n understood, however, thatlif theproducer gas isformed by a partial combustion of coke inthe producer, then the relative proportions of primary and secondary air will bemore than in the previous statement, asV

" there'will be no' volatileconstituents to be burned.

Also, it shou-ldbe understood that the vrate of lproduction of producer gas will vary not only as between coal and colte but alsol as between coals from different fields, wherein the volatile constituents vary from that of the Pittsburgh co'al. 'l claim herein as my invention: l 1. The method herein described for effect# ing l,the progressive combustion of coal which '55 ulatinglthe supply of air for one of such.

consists in effecting a preliminary combus tion of `coal, supplying air for suchpreliminarycombustion in quantities less than that required for complete combustion of the coal,

combustion'istages by and in accordance with the air supplied for the other combustio stage. A

2. The method herein described for the combustion of coal which consists in the for-A of the coal, effecting the combustion of such lgas in a furnace and regulating the supply As shown therein, a hand operated valve 26a' is employedfor controlling the mo' supply of air to the furnace.

supplied in veffecting the partial combustion of the coal.

3.y The method herein described for effecting the progressive 'combustion of coal, coke,

lessthan that vrequired for complete combustion of the coal, effecting the combustion of the gas formed during the preliminary `coinbustionand regulating-the air supplied for the combustion of the gas by and in accord- -anace with the quantity of air supplied for the preliminary combustion. o

4r.. An apparatus for the combustion of coal, coke, etc.,,for heating a furnace having in combination a furnace, a prodiicei for supplying gas to the furnace, means for supplying air to the producer for the gener- -ationy of was, vmeans for supplying air to the furnace' or the combustion of the gas and regulating means responsive to variations in the supply of air to the producer for proportionately and. simultaneously varying the 5. The method herein described for the combustion of coal, coke, etc., which consists in the formation of producer gas, effecting ythe combustion of such gas and regulating the air supplied for such combustion by and in accordance with the quantity of air supe plied for the formation of producer gas. 6. An apparatus for the combustion of coal, coke, etc., for heating a furnace, having in combination a furnace, a producer for supplying gas to the furnace, means for supplying air to the producer, means for supplying air to' the furnace for thel combustion of the gas, and regulating means responsive to variations inthe supply of the air to the producer for varying the supply of air for com` bustion in the furnace, proportionately to the rate of generation of gas in the producer. 7. An apparatus for the combustion of coal,

producer connected to the furnace, means for supplying'primary air to the producer, comprising means for effecting a drop of pressure in the priniaryair at a suitable point in the line of fiowofsuch air to the producer, means for supplying secondaryair to the furby the producer, and means operative by and in accordance with the drop of pressure in the primary air for controlling the supply of secondary air fiowing to the furnace A 8. A plant having'in combination a furnace, a producer for. supplying gas to the furnace,lmeans for supplying vprimary and secondary air to theproducer and furnace, respectively, comprising means for effecting drops' of. pressure at suitable points in the lines of fiow of the primary and secondary airfmeans whereby the pressures at said points are differentially opposed, and means -nace for the combustion of the gas supplied al messa p operative bythe dilerence in pressure drops for controlling the fiow or secondary-.ain

totheifurnace.

9 A plant having combination ,afurnace, a producer foris'upplyi'nggas to the ful nace, means, for supplying primary 'and .sec-

y `ondary air to thepro-ducer and the furnace,

respectively, and-means for controlling the secondary airsupplied to the. furnace insaccordance with the air suppliedtfotle producer comprising al regulator responsive to di'ei'-,

-entialpres'sures and duct vmeans connecting thesupplies of Iprimary and secondary air, re-

' yspectively, to said regulator., V.

i 15 10. lA plant havingincombinationa ur-y g nace", a producer for supplying gas tothe fura nace, means for supplying .primary andsecondary air to the producer and furnace, re spectively, means responsive to the dilieren- 2o tials'of dynamic and static 'pressures between suitable points inthe line of flow 4of :the pri f mary and secondary air, respectively,for controlling the secondary -air to the furnace.

l1. A plant` having ingcombination a furnace, a producer for supplying gasto the furnace, means comprising fans for supplying primary and secondary. airV to the producer u and furnace, respectively, meansresponsive to the relative pressures at. suitable `points in the lines of flow of the primary and secondary air, respectively, for controlling -the speedl ofthe fan supplying air tothe furnace.

x 12. A plant having'in combination, alfur; nace, a producer for supplying gas to the furnace, meansfor supplying primary and' secondary ,airto the producer and furnace, respectively, sald means providing 'an ex` cess 1n one of said air supplies, and means responsive to ,changes inthe' relative pressures 40 1n said alrsupplies, respect1vely,rfor regu- A lating the;l florisr from said excess supply.

13. A plant' having'in combination a furnace, a producer forsupplying gas to the fur nace, means for supplyingprimaryand see-v ondary air to the producer and furnace, re-

spectively, said means providing an excess in "one of said air supplies, and means' responsive to variations in the relative'quantities of primary and secondary air supplied for regular,` 5 ing the How from said excess supply.

14, A plant having in combination a furnace, a producer for supplyinggas to the furnace, means forsupplying primary and secondary air to the producer and furnace, respectively, said means providing an excess in one of said air supplies, and means for yregulating the flow from said excess supply comprising a regulator connected by flow ducts with said respective supplies. v

my hand.

In testimony whereof, Iv have hereunto set f ALFREDSTEINBART.

CERTIFICATE 0E CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,751,894. y i ,Granted March 25, 1930, to

ALFRED STEINBART,

It is hereby cetified that error appears in the printedspeciication of thev Iabove lnumbered patent requiring correction as follows:v Page 3, line 52, Claim 1, for the word "combination" read l'combu'stion";'and that the said Letters Patv ent shoud be read with this eorrectn therein that the sante may Conforml to the record of the case in the Patent Office.'

` Signedand sealed this 24th-day of June, A. D. 1930.-

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) w Acting Commissioner of Petents. 

